Espionage

04.24.12

Pentagon Forms New Spy Service

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

After years focusing on tactical considerations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon is now looking to bolster its espionage work outside the battlefield. The new Defense Clandestine Service will work closely with the CIA to gather intelligence on targets like Iran. The main force behind the change is Michael Vickers, the undersecretary of Defense for intelligence and one of the architects of the CIA's program of arming Islamist militants in their war against the Soviets in Afghanistan. A Defense official says the change isn't meant to usurp the role of the CIA, but as a “realignment” of the military's espionage efforts.